Combined ruler and blotter.



: J. W. GUILLOTT. COMBINED RULER AND BLOTTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1908.

Patented 0011.19, 1909.

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JAMES W. GUILLOTT, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

COMBINED RULER AND BLOTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

Application filed August 31, 1908. Serial No. 451,092.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, JAMES lV. GUILLo'r'r,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Rulers and Blotters, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates in general to a combined ruler and blotter and more particularly to a ruler having detachably secured thereto a strip of blotting material.

In the use of rulers to draw ink lines care has to be exercised to avoid blurring the lines when the ruler is moved to a new position, and to avoid this it is customary to blot a line as soon as drawn, which involves laying the pen or ruler aside while a blotter is used.

The primary object of my invention is to i provide a ruler which will not only not blur formed of a flexible piece of metal.

a line of undry ink if accidentally passed thereover, but which will blot the ink so as to prevent the line being blurred either by the ruler, or the hand of the user, or from the contact of any other object.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combined ruler and blotter which will be simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and eflicient in use.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the same is illustrated as embodied in three convenient and practical forms, and in which- Figure'l is a top plan view of the first form. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, reference letter A indicates a I'Lqljlfil e ends of the ruler A are cut away to form shallow channels between lugs a, a. B indicates an endless strip of blotting material, such for instance as blotting paper or asbestos, which surrounds the ruler A lengthwise and is seated at the ends of the ruler within the channels between the pairs of lugs a, a. lVhen it is desired to remove the strip of blotting material to replace it by a fresh strip, the ruler is bowed to permit the ends of the blotting material to be lifted out of the channels in the ends of the ruler. A fresh endless strip of blotting material is then placed around the ruler while flexed so that when the pressure which flexes the ruler is discontinued and it becomes straight, the ends of the blot-ting material will be held tightly within the channels in the ends of the ruler.

It will be observed that the blotting paper is reversible, inasmuch as the endless band B can be used on both sides, and can then be removed from the ruler and turned inside out so as to be replaced on the ruler and again used.

It will be observed that the strip of blotting material is of a less width than the width of the ruler and is located centrally lengthwise of the ruler, thereby spacing the edges of the blotting material from the edges of the ruler so as to prevent ink from the ruling pen being absorbed by the blotting material. The thickness of the blotting material serves to space the edges of the ruler above the ruled surface the necessary distance to prevent blurring of the surface when ruled. By providing the ruler of flexible material, it may be used upon curved surfaces, such as the pages of books, ledgers, etc., as the ruler will readily accommodate itself to the curvature of the surface and will at once spring back to its original shape when no longer pressed against the curved surface.

From the foregoing description, it will be observed that my improved device can be used as an ordinary ruler to draw a straight ink line with the pen, then it can be raised and placed over the line to blot the same. Thereafter another ink line can be drawn and blotted in the same way. It is obvious that there will thus be a great saving of time in comparison with the old Way of using a separate ruler and blotter and having to lay one aside and take the other up alternately forv each lines drawn.

I claim:

1. The combination with a lengthwise resilient ruler, of a strip of blotting material surrounding the ruler lengthwise thereof.

2. The combination with a lengthwise resilient ruler, of an endless strip of blotting material removably surrounding the ruler lengthwise thereof.

3. The combination with a lengthwise resilient ruler, of an endless strip of blotting material reln'ovably surrounding the ruler seated in the channels in the ends of the 10 lengthwlse thereof, and means for preventruler.

ing the accidental displacement of the blot- In testimony whereof, I have subscribed ting material from the ruler. my name.

4:. The combination with a ruler formed of endwise flexible material, of lugs on the JAMES GUILLOTT' ends of the ruler spaced apart to form chan- Witnesses: nels, and an endless strip of blotting mate- EDYTHE M. ANDERSON,

rial surrounding the ruler lengthwise and ANNIE C. COURTENAY. 

